Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1887-12-24

n No~ VH0eTO % anhu8U n INC CoPasO1'
no MORE RAIDS BY GREEDY OUTSIDERS ON rHI
STATIONERY Rooms OF THE HOUSE FOR HOLIDAY
PRESENTS, FOR WHICH THE N. c.'s ARE PROPERLY
GRATKFUL-THE MAILS FOR AND FROM SENATORS
AND REPRESENTATIVES.
Many people will be disappointed for their
Christmas this year on account Of the new order
OF things In the House stationery room. There
were no fancy articles for presents this year.
Heretofore about Christmas times this room has
looked like fair, and the members had to play
the part OF the amable victims who are pressed to
stake chance" They receive a great many
callers during the week before Christmas, for the
entertainment of whom 1t was necessary to show
the way to the stationery room. Besides their
wives and daughters, accompanied by many lady
friends and the pages who made demands for
pocket knives, they were assailed by persons OF
insinuating and agreeable manners, who proceeded
TO worm out OF them orders on the stationery
room Some people got many OF the valuable
ton In this way, and thereby saved considerable
outlay OF cash. OF course the members have to
pay h lor @ what they get from the stationery room
'wORKING THE MEMBERS FOR PREsENTs"
There are several women in Washington who
until this winter have made o habit OF visiting
the Capitol before Christmas and "w0rk1ng the
members for presents" They had a perfect sys-
tenn. They would meet some member, probably
at public reception, and II he seemed to be a
promising victim they would cultivate him. They
generally picked out Southern men on account OF
thelr reputation for galantry, and they would get
many as possible. They generally took their VIC
Tins In with them, one at a time, and kept very
close, SO that when the man IN charge asked to
what extent he should honor this reQuisitiOn the
member would feel the compulsion OF gallantry to
say "Give her anything she wants" He was
then permitted to leave her. Some OF these women
m hQ q
into the stationery room in this way In one day,
and selected to the credit OF each articles ranging
In cost from S. to 500. Some members have had
their stationery accounts overdrawn in this way.
Not only women but men would victimiZe the
members. One man who wrote letters to some
little country newspaper, got an order from a
Virginia member one day and had articles sent to
his home amounting in value TO Sis. The next
day he came back and got SIS worth more on the
same Older.
The members have more money to spend In pens
and Official letter paper since the fancy articles
have We been done away with. Three or four Of the
haDltues were on hand this week, but they
departed In disappointment.
THE HOUSE NAILS
Very few packages have come to the members
through the House post-of1ice II they have been
remembered by their friends, the presents have
gone to their homes, where nost OF them now are
Quite large number OF presents have been sent
away by MEMBERS and the sale OF stamps has been
large. Christmas presents can be distinguished
FROM the packages OF documents by the stamps
uO idIOCi oCut pUotdSc. MCulDcIS
and Senator's have been known TO "frank" presents
TO save postage but this is violation Of law that
few would attempt
THE SENATE POsToFFICE
has handled larger number OF Christmas pack
ages than ever before. Many Of these parcels con-
tain articles purchased In the stationery rooms
where the assortment is sold to Senators and at
tacheS OF the Senate at cost. In addition to hOl-
day gifts purchased from the stationery rooms
many OF the officials and employees, and some OF
the Senators, had purchases made in the city
delivered TO the Senate wing a matter OF con-
venience. All packages for registry are taken to
the city post-Oce promptly by the assistant post
master OF the senate and registered. he takes
the receipts, and unless they are called for keeps
them safely filed away. But all the holiday pres
enrs from the stationery room do not go through
.&ha postoQice by any Asan4 MANY OF the orders
are delivereO aJ the reidences OF Ahe senators or
attaches, and from there distributed to the per-
sons for whom they are intended. The con-
venience afforded by the Senate post-ofIice has,
however, been quite largely taken advantage OF,
and STAR reporter was today shown large ac-
cumulatiOn OF registered receipts, which repre-
sented holiday presents sent from the Senate and
through b its pOSr-Ofice.